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How to Pull Off a Perfect Period Renovation

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The drawing room and library interconnect, their walls painted in Sanderson Cameo White. The floor is covered with a Ziegler rug, and the curtains were made by David Faulkner. With the exception of the dark table lamps, pairs of items, from chairs to lamps, plant pots to the Chinese garden stools, have been split up.
“A little symmetry is a good thing, but it’s more fashionable to separate pairs these days.”

The original marble mantelpieces are used to display the owners’ favourite small bronzes.

The bespoke Welsh bronze table in the drawing room is one of a pair.

Panther the cat luxuriates on one of his favourite chairs.

The light-filled drawing room and library houses beautiful original plasterwork.

The powder-blue island breaks up the yellow colour scheme while linking it to the hall and landing. The Saarinen tulip table is a Finnish classic, ordered from The Conran Shop, and positioned in front of French doors to enjoy views of the pretty garden.

The owners love entertaining, and their collection of Herend porcelain is stashed in the newly created storage room full of smart, streamlined floor-to-ceiling cupboards.

The dining table and chairs came from a previous home and fit perfectly into the cosy dining room. The walls are painted in Rose of Jericho distemper in a 50/50 blend of Mars Yellow and Dusky White.

Rose of Jericho, a British company, specialises in materials for decorating and repairing traditional and historic buildings. This sunny bedroom has been painted with their Sienna Special distemper.

A dressing room includes ample bespoke wardrobe storage, created by Seabury Furniture, and an antique lyre table. The George IV chair, which is covered in blue felt, is one of a pair.

The contemporary steel four-poster bed was sourced by interior designer Amanda Douglas, whom the owners worked with in the past. She chose a floral-bordered fabric from the Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour, in London that marries the old and new elements of the room (amandadouglas@live.com).

"We didn’t want traditional lanterns like you normally see in these houses; we wanted something funkier,” the owners explain. The timber veneer Link light was designed by Ray Power for LZF and sourced at Chelsea Lighting Design.

The hall, stairs and landing are painted in Scotch Grey from Papers and Paints in London. The stained-glass window is original.

The roll-top cast-iron bath was here when they bought the house. “We toyed with turning this room into an office, but decided the house deserved to have a nice bath!”

A wallpapered nook in the guest room houses books.

The drawing room and library

Small bronzes

The bespoke Welsh bronze table

Panther the cat

The drawing room and library

The kitchen

Herend porcelain collection

The dining room

Bedside furniture

The dressing room

The contemporary steel four-poster bed

Landing lighting

Original stained glass

The bathroom

A wallpapered nook

11 Jul 2015

6 tips for renovating a period property from the owners of this beautifully restored South Dublin Georgian…

1. Choose wiselyFor any renovation, hire a good architect and good builders.

2. Be conservative.Conservation officers will have the final say on structural changes in listed buildings, so don’t assume you can do what you want.

3. Go beyond the cosmetic.
Don’t be tempted to paint everything white and move in. Most houses need to be replumbed, insulated and updated. It’s better to spend the money on the basics first to avoid a crisis.

4. Devise workarounds.
Before deciding to open up all the rooms at garden level or to extend into the garden, consider your options. Sometimes, small alterations to improve the daylight and sunlight can make for a more practical and low-key solution.

5. Don’t store up trouble.
Storage can be a problem in Georgian houses, so consider converting a smaller bedroom into a dressing room, or creating a bespoke storage room at basement level.

6. Be true to the era.
Many paint and wallpaper companies offer heritage collections, created from matching up historic colours, allowing you to lend an authentic palette to your new home.

To take the full virtual house tour, click through the gallery above in fullscreen mode.